June 9, 2026 A CBC investigation has identified multiple overseas Facebook accounts posting politically charged content about Alberta independence and other Canadian issues in popular separatist groups. One of the most active accounts was operated by an Indonesian content creator who posed as an Albertan while generating engagement and earning money through Meta’s monetization programs.
The account, operating under the name Nieta Aqila, frequently posted in Alberta-focused Facebook groups, including the Alberta Independence group, which has more than 100,000 members. The posts attracted thousands of reactions, comments, and shares as debate around Alberta separatism intensified.
According to CBC’s visual investigation, the account owner was not Canadian but an Indonesian noodle merchant and content creator. Investigators found that some of the content posted by the account had been copied from real Albertans without permission. One Albertan whose content was allegedly stolen said they felt “absolutely violated” after learning their posts had been republished under someone else’s identity.
CBC identified 14 overseas accounts active in four major Alberta independence groups over the past two months. Facebook’s transparency tools indicated the accounts were managed from countries including Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and the United States.
Experts told CBC that the findings highlight how social media monetization systems can encourage users to create divisive political content for engagement rather than genuine political participation.
Matt Navarra, a UK-based social media consultant, said some creators may simply view Canadian political outrage as a profitable niche rather than having any real interest in the issues themselves.
The investigation found several examples of accounts presenting themselves as Albertans. In one case, the Nieta Aqila account claimed to have met independence campaigners in Calgary. CBC discovered that an identical post had been made by a real Albertan one day earlier, while photos on Aqila’s profile showed she was in Indonesia at the time.
CBC also linked Aqila to additional Facebook profiles, including one used to advertise homemade noodles. A screenshot shared by the account showed approximately $14 USD in monthly earnings through Meta’s monetization program while actively posting in Alberta-related groups.
Researchers from McGill University’s Media Ecosystem Observatory conducted a preliminary review and found that inauthentic activity related to Alberta separatism had increased significantly in recent months, though it still represented only a portion of the overall discussion.
Meta said it removed content that violated its policies on inauthentic behavior and disabled several of the accounts identified during the investigation. Pages including Legacy Archives, Trend Top, History Addicted, and several other accounts have since been removed.
Nieta Aqila’s account remains active, although its posts have been removed from the Alberta Independence group.
